Field
The described technology generally relates to display devices and a method of manufacturing display devices.
Description of the Related Technology
A flat panel display (FPD) is widely used for image and video display in portable electronic devices because the FPD is lightweight and thin compared to a cathode-ray tube (CRT) displays. Typical examples of FPD technologies are a liquid crystal display (LCD) and an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display.
Recently, a flexible OLED display that can bend or fold by including lower and upper substrates made of flexible materials like plastic has been developed. For example, the lower substrate can be formed of a flexible substrate, and the upper substrate can have a thin film encapsulation structure. To block permeation of water or moisture, the thin film encapsulation structure can include at least one inorganic layer and at least one organic layer, and the inorganic and organic layers can be alternatively stacked on the lower substrate. In forming the thin film encapsulation structure, at least one block member can be disposed in an outside (e.g., outskirts, suburb, etc.) of the lower substrate to block leakage of the organic layer. The block member can also support a mask that is used in a process forming a display structure. However, as the mask is placed on the block member, an upper surface of the block member can be scratched (e.g., a crack can result). The thin film encapsulation can thus be defective because of the uneven surface, and the flexible display device can have a reduced useful lifetime.